Too Late
by Akane Tendo
Summary: Wow! This is the first REALLY long fanfic i wrote!! I actually took more than one day in writing it!! I REALLY like this fanfic so pleez read it!! R/R!! HY&RP 4ever!! **BTW: MAJOR TEAR JERKER ((i guess?))**


Too Late  
  
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing OBVIOUSLY doesn't belong to me.  
  
Heero glanced into the mirror. The mirror reflected a handsome young man, in a black tuxedo with a crooked bow tie. Heero quickly straightened it out and put on a worn hat. It fully covered his eyes and his wild brown spiky hair. "Perfect," he monotonously said.   
  
  
Heero walked slowly down the road, and paused to avert his hat over his eyes. He continued his way down the road and saw the white Victorian chapel before him. He could hear the gaiety of the throngs of people, good-naturedly chattering outside the chapel, and hurrying to get in. The azure blue sky let the sunlight project the chapel perfectly, so that it looked like heaven all its own. He could already feel that he did not belong in such a holy place. He knew he belonged in a place elsewhere instead of at the gates of paradise, where there were always torture, hate and grief.   
  
Putting this strong emotion locked securely in the back of his mind he turned his back to the chapel, and resumed his walking toward it. Suddenly, he saw the most beautiful angel emerge into view in front of the very gates of heaven, and Heero felt his heart stop beating momentarily. She was smiling and laughing, as a good-looking man with cheery green eyes helped her out of the pink limo. Her enticing looks were complemented with the attire, which included a sparkling white wedding gown that flowed down to her feet. The transparent veil could not prevent her pretty face from shining through however.   
  
As she turned her head upward in laughter from a joke the handsome green-eyed man had made, Heero could see her hair shimmering downward like a graceful cascading waterfall of golden sunlight. Entranced by this mere performance, Heero could only gape at the heavenly picture before him. He wished that he could be the man, causing her to laugh and smile. He shook his head. No, he did not deserve her. They did not belong. For she was gorgeous, a pacifist leader, and she was absolutely…perfect. He was an assassin, a killer, and a criminal. He did not deserve to have the right in protecting her, let alone love her. Love. What a troublesome thing that was. That word had never meant anything to him, other than an obstacle. Now it described a newly found emotion so strong in him, it was indescribable in words. He had discovered this in Relena.   
  
He had grown to love her warm caring embrace that dismissed the hate inside him and had so easily broken through the blocks of steel caked around his heart. Relena had been one of the few people to break that barrier. She had even made him WANT to save her life, risking his own. Not that his life really DID matter. In conclusion, they did not, could not be together. It was fate, he realized. They had such different lives that led to different ends. He had made that decision long ago and closed his eyes in painful remembrance. For the first time in 5 years, he dared whisper, "Relena…"  
  
((Flashback))  
  
Relena shivered. It was a cold dreary day and it was drizzling softly. She was outside in the very sodden and wet park waiting for Heero. She was always waiting for Heero. She did not mind however. She smiled at herself sympathetically. She loved him…but did he love her? But he had to! All those times he had saved her…How could he not love her? Conflicting emotions raged through her head as she wondered where in earth Heero was. After much searching, she had finally been able to track him down to contact him and had nearly begged on her knees for a simple meeting. She was interrupted from her thoughts, for she saw that in the midst of fog and rain, a lone figure was approaching her in the distance.   
"H-Heero" Relena said, her teeth chattering from the freezing rain. But no, it wasn't Heero. It was a rather scrawny young teenage boy and he quickly hurried over to Relena.   
The young boy asked, "Miss, are you waiting for someone named Heero?" Relena looked down surprised at the young boy.   
No! Could it be that Heero did not wish to come out to see her and- "Yes," Relena answered slowly.  
"Well, he asked me to give this to you," the boy said hastily pushing a piece of parchment into her hand, as if it were a contagious disease he wanted to get rid of. Without hesitating, the boy ran swiftly away.  
  
With trembling fingers, she unfolded the piece of paper that read:   
  
Dear Relena,  
  
I will no longer be in your life. This is my final and last decision I will make as a Gundam pilot. Please forget about me and move on. Live a pleasant and wonderful life.  
  
Heero  
  
Relena was quivering now, and it wasn't from the cold. "No...No...NO!" He couldn't have really truly meant it, could he? Perhaps it was a fraud! A trick! A hoax! Crumpling up the letter, she threw it onto the ground and continuously stamped on it. Then sitting on the wet bench, saturated like a sponge in the now hammering rain, she sobbed into her hands. She had always known that he had loved her-no…she had always assumed that he had loved her.   
  
"HEERO~!" Relena cried out into the gloomy world that seemed to be crying along side with her. Her cry seemed to be echoing on to eternity.  
  
((End of Flashback))  
  
Heero gently shook himself out of those thoughts. He had watched this reaction from his hidden apartment window and had felt a part of him tear apart. It wasn't any type of physical pain encountered before, but it almost felt as though his heart would explode, as he watched Relena's blurred collapsing figure on the bench from the pitter pattering sounds resonating from the glass window. He had even almost acted on instinct: to go outside to aid her, protect her like always but he held himself back. No, he had come to the conclusion this was the most suitable decision for her…and him.   
  
Heero quickly walked into a middle of a talkative group of people entering the chapel, being well camouflaged because of his well-picked out clothes.   
  
On entering the chapel, its creamy colored interior gave him a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and pure peace. He bitterly chuckled at this. This was something he could hardly stand being in the presence of. As he walked on with the group, he discovered tall, grand poles of white marble, which stood, on each side of the entrance. A feeling of majesty overwhelmed him, much like the first time he had seen his own Gundam MS.   
  
He continued to follow the group down the aisle and picked a seat concealed in the back corner where he was hidden by men's top hats, and women's hair, placed up high on top of their heads.  
A kind-looking elderly woman, who was seated next to him, politely turned her attention to the young, good-looking man, who looked quite uncomfortable and forlorn.   
  
"Hello there. What connections to the Smith and Peacecraft/Darlian family have brought you here? Are they family ties? Or are you a friend?"  
Heero slowly turned his hard, weight-bearing gaze on the elderly woman and replied, "I'm a friend of Miss Relena Darlian. An old friend."  
  
Seeing that the young man did not seem to want to further engage in any sort of conversation, the woman curtly nodded and turned to her side to converse with the person next to her. Heero closed his eyes and rested against the cool oak wooden benches that supported the guests' and his weight. He opened his eyes to hear the wedding tune being played and saw Relena being guided down the aisle with Zechs protectively walking down the aisle right beside her. Heero snickered. Zechs you fool. Heero's sharp eyes trailed every step that Relena took. He could not possibly stop gawking at the beauty before him and reluctantly tore his head downcast when Relena walked past him. He had somehow managed to catch a glimpse of her facial expression and it had been of innocent joy and bliss. He angrily made a fist as he watched Relena walk up to her soon-to-be-groom. Now Heero was gazing at Relena with such intensity, he almost knew that she would turn around and recognize him. But no, she was too concentrated on her groom and she lovingly gazed up into his eyes.   
  
The wedding ceremony had now been finished and a party was issuing. The newly wed couple twirled on the dance floor and slowly came to a halt as the slow ballad came to an end. Relena leaned forward and her husband and her kissed deeply. Suddenly, a woman, seemingly her husband's mother took his arm and led him to the dance floor to dance. Relena laughed and waved at them as they walked away, John, her husband helplessly raising his hands and shrugging, blowing her light kisses as he was dragged away.  
  
Relena was still smiling softly, looking after her wonderful husband when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Without turning her gaze from her husband, she said, "Yes?"  
  
"Miss Relena..."  
  
Relena froze with excitement and fear. That voice. It couldn't be. He was, dead. She had searched for him for years, but he had disappeared and gone. No. Slowly she turned around and gasped to see who the person was.  
  
"Heero..."  
  
Heero gazed down at her longingly and said, "May I have this dance?"  
  
Right on cue, a slow waltz was started up.  
  
As Heero held her hand and placed his hand on her hip, Relena was vaguely reminded of her first dance with Heero on her birthday and she fresh tears, something she hadn't done in a long time, sprang to her eyes. Still frozen to the spot, she merely nodded her eyes as he led her to the dance floor. The song was a slow, sad, melody, she realized. Just like us, Relena thought.  
  
They slowly danced together and Relena was afraid to look up into Heero's eyes. She had married and they could not be together any longer. No, she did not think that she loved him in the way she did as in the past. They danced not to close, not too far, for now she was a married woman.   
They swayed from side to side, and in the middle of the song, Heero delicately stopped the dancing and bent to whisper in Relena's ear, "I wish you a pleasant and wonderful life Relena."  
  
And without another word, he quietly left her once again, standing paralyzed alone, and walked out of the ballroom. It was a full minute before Relena could cautiously digest what had happened. She ran as fast as her wobbly legs could carry her, shoving people aside, knocking down tables and benches and nearly tripped herself over her wedding dress. She ran faster and faster down the hall and was relieved to see the two grand marble poles standing next to the entrance, for her lungs were a lit with a blazing fire.  
  
When she finally fell, dazed and breathing hard, onto the cold stone steps leading to the chapel, she yelled," HEEEEROOOO~!"  
  
Tears were sliding down her cheek as she wildly looked about her. She stared up into the black sky with the infamous yellow twinkling stars up in the sky. She thought she saw a twinkle in the sky, an image that reminded of her of Heero, when he had gone off to battle with her brother Zechs during the war after Colony 195.  
  
"I'll always keep you in my heart forever, Heero," Relena quietly said. And as her last tears slid and fell on the ground, so did her love for Heero.  



End file.
